Rack for crane sling



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United States Patent 1" RACK FOR CRANE SLING Dor W. Grazier, Johnstown, Pa.

Application September 17, 1952, Serial No. 310,099

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-314) The present invention relates generally to storage racks and more particularly to a rack especially suitable for the temporary storage of crane slings.

Up to the time of my invention, the storage of temporarily idle cradle slings, which are used in conjunction with overhead traveling cranes, constituted a problem for heavy industry. Sling branches are usually or 12 feet in length and of necessity are flexible. The chains or wire ropes and hooks of which the branches are made are easily tangled unless kept in a stretched-out position. The weight of complete slings adds to the problems incident to their use since one complete sling may weigh several hundred pounds and, therefore, re-

quires considerable force to be lifted manually. If the idle sings are permitted to lie on the mill floor, they frequently become tangled and suffer traffic abuse. While lying on the floor, a sling not only occupies valuable production space in the craneway but also constitutes dangerous hazards to workmen who must travel along the craneway.

.Several devices have been tried in attempts to solve this storage problem but none, up to the time of my invention, have proven completely adequate. Among these were bar racks which were comprised of one or more bars set up on vertical supports in elevated position above the mill floor. The slings were draped over the bars when not in use. The bar racks were unsatisfactory since they took up valuable space on the mill floor under the craneway and did not provide means for preventing the tangling of adjacent slings on the rack. Another disadvantage was the danger of one or more of the branch hooks catching on the rack and upsetting it when a sling was withdrawn from the rack by the overhead crane.

Another means devised for storage of the slings was the provision of overhead wall hooks on which the main connecting links of the slings were hung. These proved impractical for the reason that if the hook was placed low enough for the hooker workman to reach it, the sling hooks and much of the length of the branches laid on the floor when the sling was placed on the hook.

If the wall hook was positioned sufliciently high to keep the branches at full length, it was almost impossible for the craneman to transfer the sling from the crane hook to the wall hook, and vice versa.

It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to provide a cradle type rack which will permit slings to be hung separately with branchesstretched out at full length well above the usable working area below the craneway.

It is another object of my invention to provide a cradle type rack which will permit the crane operator to hang a sling for storage or withdraw one for use by simple manipulation of the crane hook and without the aid of a hooker.

These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the invention attached to a support;

2,709,061 Patented May 24,1955

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line VV of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the device in use receiving a crane sling;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing'the device in use after the crane sling has been deposited therein.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 2 indicates the rectangular back wall of the rack of my invention. The back wall 2 is provided with a number of holes 4 therethrough for receiving bolts 6 or other fastening elements to attach the rack to a suitable support. A pair of spaced side walls 8 are integral with and extend forwardly from the side edges of the back wall 2. Each of the side walls 8 is shaped substantially in the form of a pentagon with relatively short parallel upper and lower edges 10 and 12 respectively The upper edges 10 and lower edges 12 may be provided with opposing flanges 14 and 15, respectively, which project downwardly and upwardly, respectively, toward each other at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The side walls 8 are each shaped with an inclined upper forward edge 16' and an inclined lower forward edge 18. The upper forward'edges 16 are each inclined forwardly and downwardly from the upper parallel edge 10 while the lower forward edges 18 are each inclined forwardly and upwardly from the lower edge 12 and extend to the lower 'end of the upper forward edge 16. Edges 16 and 18 may be substantially equal in length to form an angle of approximately degrees at their junction 20, as best shown in Figures 6 and 7. In some cases it may be desirable to have the main sling link positioned at a different slope in the cradle. This may be accomplished by changing the respective lengths of edges 16 and 18 and, consequently, the angle formed thereby.

Each of the lower forward edges 18 is provided with a right angle flange 22 directed toward the opposite side wall. Opposed vertical flanges 24 are provided on the inner faces of the side walls 8 which extend between the forward end of the upper parallel edges 10 and the lower parallel edges 12. The vertical flanges 24 together with the flanges 22 form opposed V-shaped recesses 26 on the inner surfaces of the side walls 8 for receiving the main ring A of a branch sling B. The distance between the side walls 8 varies according to the size of the main link of the branch sling to be accommodated. The space between the side walls must be sufficient to permit the link to fall easily into the recesses 26 but not so much as would permit the link to fall through the rack.

The rack of my invention may be attached to a vertical support such as a column C by means of arm brackets 28, as shown in Figure l, or the rack may be fastened directly onto the vertical support if desired.

In operation, to hang a sling B in the rack from a hook D of a crane, not shown, the crane operator lowers the hook D to cause the main center link or ring A to slide into the opposed recesses 26 of the rack. As this is done, the hook end D extends into the space between and below the 45 degree flanges 14 which project from the upper edges 10 to form a funnel like entrance for the hook end. If desired, the flanges 14 may be omitted, however, their presence serves to cause the device to function more smoothly. As the ring A settles into place in the recess 26, with the attached branches and hooks suspended below it, it automatically assumes and comes to rest in a 45 degree outwardly-leaning position as shown in Figure 7. This permits the crane 3 hook D to drop free of the ring A as it continues its downward travel. The position assumed by the ring A in the rack also makes possible its easy reengagement by the hook when it is desired to remove the sling from the rack.

I have found it desirable, although not essential to its operation, to bevel outwardly all the top and bottom corners on the inside of the rack so as to eliminate the possibility of any snagging of the sling or the crane hook as each moves up or down in the recess of the rack.

In practice, a suitably arranged bank of the racks of my invention, in number and sizes to meet specific requirements, may be attached to a wall, girder, or pedestal or any other suitable support located Within the craneway.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A rack for holding a lift sling of the type having a main center link with one or more lift branches connected thereto which comprises a pair of spaced side walls extending forwardly from an integral back wall, parallel upper and lower edges on each of said side walls, an inclined upper forward edge and an inclined lower forward edge on each of said side walls, the upper forward edge of each side wall extending forwardly and downwardly from said upper parallel edge, the lower forward edge of each side wall extending forwardly and upwardly from said lower parallel edge to the lower end of said upper forward edge, said upper and lower forward edges being of respective lengths to form an angle which will permit the main link to assume a predetermined degree of slope, a flange on each of said lower forward edges projecting normal thereto and directed toward each other, a pair of opposed vertical flanges on the inner surfaces of said side walls, each of said vertical flanges extending from the forward end of said upper parallel edge to the forward end of the lower parallel edge, said vertical flange and i the lower forward flange on each side wall defining opposed substantially V-shaped recesses for removably containing the main center link of said sling.

2. A rack for holding a lift sling of the type having a main connecting link with at least one flexible lift branch connected thereto which comprises a rectangular back wall securable to a support, parallel side edges and parallel top and bottom edges on said back wall, a pair of spaced side walls integral with and extending forwardly from the side edges of said back wall, parallel upper and lower edges on each of said side walls, an inclined upper forward edge and an inclined lower forward edge on each of said side walls, the upper forward edge of each side wall extending forwardly and downwardly from said upper parallel edge, the lower forward edge of each side wall extending forwardly and upwardly from said lower parallel edge to the lower end of said upper forward edge, said upper and lower forward edges being of substantially equal length and forming an angle of substantially 90 degrees at their junction, a flange on each of said lower forward edges projecting normal thereto and directed toward each other, a pair of opposed vertical flanges on the inner surfaces of said side walls, each of said vertical flanges extending from the forward end of said upper parallel edge to the forward end of the lower parallel edge, said vertical flange and the lower forward flange on each side wall defining opposed substantially V-shaped recesses for removably containing the connecting link of said sling.

3. A rack for a lift sling as defined in claim 2 characterized by said back wall being formed with openings therethrough for receiving fastening elements to attach said rack to a support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

